In the continuing saga of America’s best kept secrets, it’s clear what is causing our citizens to begin to worry that we may be facing a recession despite all the reassurances from the government that it’s not going to happen. But still people aren’t getting mad. They should be screaming with rage the way things are all going downhill, but no outrage yet.

Salaries are stagnant, prices are going up on everything we need and use, real estate is shot, food and clothing sky-high, gasoline out of sight, the dollar’s value is shrinking worldwide, jobs are going overseas, health care is so costly few can afford it, and on and on.

If you are anywhere near my age then you’ll agree you can hardly recognize our country anymore. Where are the people of character, courage and commonsense?

It’s times like these that cry out for leadership. Why won’t Congress close our borders to the illegal immigrants?

We know the answers don’t we, it’s votes and cheap illegal labor. Why won’t Congress allow drilling for oil in Alaska and off our coasts, or even build refineries – simple answer to the last two questions – the politicians are in bed with the oil companies who want to keep oil prices up, so they can make $40 billion a quarter, like Mobil and Chevron.

We all sit here and just take it. How much longer will it be before citizens don’t have enough money to eat? When this happens the government will see unrest – then we will have a full-fledged depression on our hands.

Already our greatness has been replaced with mediocrity. Are there no leaders who can stop this destruction of our lower and middle classes and letting the rich get richer?

To begin with, we must replace all those who call themselves conservative politicians and are just RINO’s. If, when you check their voting records, you will see how they speak with forked tongues, saying one thing and then voting another way.

Those are the ones who get the boot. Like President Reagan said, “Trust but always verify.”

If you are thinking of changing your health care back-up policies, be careful. Congress is slowly de-funding Medicare and making private providers get involved with government-sanctioned “bait and switch” games, offering senior citizens low initial premiums, then moving them up to lucrative “fee for service” plans at much higher rates.

Just a word of caution – The Walter Reed Hospital scandal was no fluke. Doctors there are scamming brain injured vets, telling them to accept a 5-13 discharge and they will get ratings, benefits and medical care. Then they deny all. See The National magazine and Joshua Kass’s article.

In January our government cut funding from $520 million to $170 million to the Byrne Justice Assistant Grants to the states for law enforcement assistance.

President Bush continues to pressure Israel to divide and turn over much (half) of Jerusalem to radical Islamic Palestine extremists and terrorists. We should all remember history which shows that every nation that has ever cursed Jerusalem has in turn been cursed.

Israel is America’s only friend in the Middle East, so we must see that Israel is protected and Jerusalem remains whole. Our enemy and theirs, Iran and its mad President Mahmoud Ahmadine, has said, among other insane things, that Israel must be wiped off the map. Iran must not be allowed to have nuclear weapons, whatever it takes.

It seems almost every American is looking forward to the tax rebate stimulus check the government will be sending out in May or June, “a gift” to help stimulate the economy. Isn’t anyone thinking or caring that the government doesn’t have the money to do this?

They will have to borrow it from China and pay interest that our grandkids will have to repay. They can, of course, just print more currency but that only causes our money to have less value.

America is currently $9 trillion in debt, or $20 trillion if you add in unfunded obligations in the future. Talk about placing our future in the hands of a sworn enemy.

Would it surprise you to learn that the U.S. actually increased trade with Iran last year? Exports to Iran rose from $8 million in 2001 to more than $125 million in 2007.

Iran has been called the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorists and we were on the verge of attacking them last year. Go figure.

We have given Pakistan more than $7 billion in military aid in the last six years to our so-called friends to fight terrorism, which they used to fight India, not terrorists. We also bought $3 billion worth of Pakistani cotton clothing and fabrics from them.

I wonder what people who used to work in South Carolina clothing cotton mills will think of that figure?

The Democrats in the U.S. Senate have caused a political impasse when it comes to confirming some 180 judicial and agency nominees. Some appointments have been stalled for many months – 30 nominees have waited for more than a year.

This has turned into a never-ending political game where everyone loses, thanks to our liberal friends. Justice delayed is justice denied.

These nominees are all entitled to an up or down vote in the Senate, and these Democrats are violating the Constitution, being irresponsible and no one does anything about it. They aren’t even ashamed of it.

Someone needs to go to jail for this one. A study that was obtained from a non-governmental source by the AP brought to light that the government Budget and Procurement managers failed to recognize the damage done by IEDs in late 2004 and early 2005 to Humvee’s used by U.S. Marines in Iraq.

The failure to deploy a more mine resistant vehicle, the new MRAP, led to needless troops deaths. The study accuses the service of “gross mismanagement”.

Apparently the cost of the MRAPs figured in the delay of more than two years, as they cost $1 million each. Finally, in February 2005, an urgent request by then Brig. General Dennis Hejlik who asked for 1,169 of the MRAPs said Marines could not continue to take “serious and grave casualties” caused by IEDs when a solution was available.

The writer of the study, Franz J. Gayl, finally got the attention of Gen. James Conway, the Marine Corps commandant, and the vehicles finally rolled. An inquiry is being conducted by the Corps Inspector General to determine if any military or government employee is culpable for failing to rush the critical gear to the troops.

Gayl had to file for whistle blower protection in May after he was threatened with disciplinary action after meeting with congressional staff. We are all waiting for the results to come in.

I’ll leave you with this thought: “If you drive illegally, they take your drivers license away. If you are here illegally, they want to give you one.”

Robert E. Beckner lives in Majestic Oaks with his wife, Sarah. He is a retired private investigator and insurance adjuster. He has also been a photographer and served with the Military Police in the Marine Corps.